Finnish log purchases down 32%

Finnish forest industry log purchases from private forests were down 32% in January, compared to a year ago.

Total purchases were 1.3 million m³, which was 16% up on December.

The Finnish Forest Industries Federation said although wood demand had temporarily fallen because of the economic slump, the industry still needed to secure an increasing amount of timber in Finand over the long term.

The harvesting of winter felling sites which had been procured in earlier years was an additional reason for the lower volumes.

Stumpage prices declined slightly, with average pine and spruce logs costing €46-47 per m³ and birch logs fetching €43 per m³.